Argentina has formally withdrawn from the expansion of the BRICS bloc. New far-right president Javier Milei has followed through on an election promise to reverse the country's decision to join. Argentina's President Javier Milei has sent letters to BRICS leaders to formalize his decision to withdraw his country from its planned entry into the alliance of major emerging economies, it was announced on Friday. Milei said the moment was not "opportune" for Argentina to join as a full member. The bloc — made up of G20 nations Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — in August announced it was admitting six new members. The membership of Argentina, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates was due to take effect from January 1, 2024. The BRICS nations currently account for about 40% of the world's population and more than a quarter of the world's GDP, with as many as 14 nations mostly from Asia, Africa and the Middle East interested in joining the bloc. Milei reverses predecessor's plans The letters signed by Milei and published by several media houses said Argentina's membership was "not considered appropriate at this time" but Milei has expressed his readiness to hold meetings with each of the five BRICS leaders. The libertarian outsider Milei took office this month after his resounding defeat of Argentina's traditional political parties, and he had vowed on the campaign trail not to join BRICS. In his letters he said his foreign policy "differs in many aspects from that of the previous government. In this sense, some decisions made by the previous administration will be reviewed." Milei's predecessor, former center-left president Alberto Fernandez, had endorsed joining the alliance as an opportunity to reach new markets. Argentina 'will not ally with communists' During his election campaign, Milei said "our geopolitical alignment is with the United States and Israel. We are not going to ally with communists." Throughout the campaign for the presidency, Milei disparaged countries ruled "by communism" and announced that he would not maintain diplomatic relations with them despite growing Chinese investment in South America. Despite vowing to cut ties with major trading partners China and Brazil, he has taken a more conciliatory tone since coming to office. Milei defines himself as an "anarcho-capitalist" and has implemented a series of measures to deregulate the economy, which in recent decades has been marked by state interventionism. Soon after taking office Milei warned of his economic plans, claiming that there is "no alternative to austerity and no alternative to shock treatment." He insisted that his predecessors had left the country without funds and on a path to hyperinflation.

Argentina has devalued the peso by more than 50%, along with cuts in spending in tough measures aimed at tackling a deep economic crisis. Argentina on Tuesday announced a significant devaluation of its currency as part of a series of drastic economic measures to address the country's ongoing economic challenges. The peso will be weakened by over 50% to 800 per dollar, new Economy Minister Luis Caputo said.   "For a few months, we're going to be worse than before," Caputo said in a televised message, two days after libertarian Javier Milei took charge as the president of South America's second largest economy. Argentina's annual inflation rate is at 143%, the currency has plummeted, and 40% of Argentines are living in poverty. At his swearing-in ceremony, Milei promised a new era for the country but warned of painful austerity measures.   "The bottom line is that there is no alternative to austerity, and there is no alternative to shock treatment," Milei warned over the weekend.  On Tuesday the economy minister also said that there would be cuts in the state's generous subsidies of fuel and transport. Caputo said politicians had long supported the subsidies to "deceive people into believing that they are putting money in their pockets. But as all Argentines will have already realized, these subsidies are not free but are paid with inflation."   He said Argentina needed to handle a deep fiscal deficit, which he put at 5.5% of GDP, adding that the country had a fiscal deficit for 113 of the last 123 years, the cause of its economic crisis. "We're here to solve this problem at the root," he said. "For this we need to solve our addiction to a fiscal deficit." Curbs on state spending  Aside from the spending cuts, Caputo also said that all state advertising would be suspended for a year, adding that it had cost 34 billion pesos ($92 million, €86 millon) in 2023. In addition "The state will not tender any more new public works, and will cancel approved tenders whose development has not yet begun."   "The reality is that there is no money to pay for more public works that, as all Argentines know, often end up in the pockets of politicians or businessmen on duty," he said. Another step would be canceling the renewal of public jobs contracts that were less than a year old. President Milei has already cut nine government ministries, which Caputo said would slash 34% of all political jobs.   Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) deemed the measures "bold" and said in a statement it would "help stabilize the economy and set the basis for more sustainable and private-sector led growth" following "serious policy setbacks" in the past months. "I welcome the decisive measures," IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said, calling it "an important step toward restoring stability and rebuilding the country's economic potential."

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had a courtesy meeting with Emiliano Martinez, the goalkeeper of the Argentina national football team, who won the FIFA World Cup 2022.  During the meeting, the Prime Minister praised the footballer for his contribution to Argentina's victory in the World Cup and wished him success. Prime Minister's Press Secretary, Ihsanul Karim, briefed the journalists after the meeting. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stated, "Football is the most popular sport in the world, and Bangladeshis are avid fans of this game. My family love sports... my father and grandfather were playing football. She further mentioned that her government is establishing mini stadiums across Bangladesh to promote football and other sports. Emiliano Martinez expressed his delight and happiness to be in Bangladesh and expressed his pleasure in witnessing the enthusiasm of Bangladeshis in football.  The delegation of the traveling rmembers includes Indian organizer and Founder of Satadru Dutta initiative Satadru Dutta and Lawyer & personal Manager of Martinez Santiago Liotta (Italian). At that time, LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam, PM's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman, State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Swapan Bhattacharjee, State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam, PM's Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah, Sheikh Helal Uddin, MP, and Sheikh Tonmoy, MP, were also present.

Goal festival, one sided final to the bone-chilling battle. Exciting 120 minutes, repeated twists and turns, nerve-wrecking tiebreaker at the end in a breathless title fight! Lionel Scaloni's Argentina won the title with 100% success. Lionel Messi got the adorable golden trophy. After 36 long years, the whole Argentina is floating with the joy of becoming the World Champion. The city of Buenos Aires is now a festival city. The country's government has also announced a one-day general holiday to celebrate this festival. Lionel Messi returns home with the trophy - this joy to celebrate by the Argentines from today. President Alberto Fernández announces a public holiday in Argentina today. The plane carrying Messi is scheduled to land at 11:30 a.m. Bangladesh time today at Ezeiza International Airport. Fans already have welcomed the world champions. Earlier President Alberto Fernández said in a message on Twitter, "Thanks to the players and the entire team. They set an example that we should not give up, we are great people and have a great future.'' President Fernández  also posted a photo of him celebrating the World Cup win with his wife Fabiola Yáñez and son Francisco. In a second message later on Twitter, Mr. Fernández wrote, 'Always together, always united. We are world champions. There is no other word. Argentine President also posted a photo with this post. Where it can be seen - the star player Lionel Messi is raising the World Cup in Qatar while surrounded by his teammates.

Argentina have won the World Cup for the third time after beating France on penalties in Doha. Lionel Messi scored twice as he finally got his hands on football's most coveted prize, cementing his legendary status. Argentina 3-3 France (Argentina win 4-2 on penalties) (Messi pen 23', 109', Di Maria 36' - Mbappe pen 80', 81', pen 118') Thirty-six years after Diego Maradona lifted the World Cup in Mexico, Lionel Messi followed suit in Qatar as Argentina became world champions again and Messi rubber-stamped his status as the greatest of all time in what was arguably the greatest World Cup final of all time. After leading 2-0 with ten minutes to go in normal time, and 3-2 with two minutes to go in extra time, La Albiceleste ultimately needed penalties to see off Kylian Mbappe and a France team which simply would not concede defeat. Messi converted first for Argentina in the shootout, just as he'd opened the scoring from the spot in normal time, a precursor to one of the goals of the tournament. A swashbuckling counter-attack conceived deep in their own half found Messi, whose flick to Julian Alvarez was astounding. Alexis Mac Allister's cross reached Angel di Maria, who found the bottom corner. Even at 34, Di Maria remains a player for the biggest stage. It was a stunning counter-attack goal and it had the masses of Argentine supporters singing "We want to win it for the third time" with greater gusto than ever before. The French have scaled the heights at World Cups and European Championships since their watershed night in Paris 24 years ago — but they appeared dazed and confused by Argentina at the Lusail Iconic Stadium. Mbappe and Messi face off But they still had Mbappe, and they still had head coach Didier Deschamps who, with Les Bleus staring their dethroning in the face, responded with a double substitution before the interval. As some of his biggest players failed to rise to the occasion as they did four years ago in Russia, Deschamps withdrew the abject Ousmane Dembele and ineffective Olivier Giroud to make way for Bundesliga pair Marcus Thuram, whose father Lilian won the World Cup in 1998, and Randal Kolo Muani. Both were involved in setting up a late comeback, but Mbappe was the executioner, first from the penalty spot with ten minutes remaining of the 90, and then on the volley less than two minutes later, flipping the game on its head and renewing French belief. Extra time followed and penalties loomed, but neither side were done. As if personally offended by the impudence of the the 23-year-old Mbappe in the way an old king might react to a princely upstart, Messi wrestled back control of the narrative, literally forcing the ball over the line to make it 3-2 and surely cement his transformation from footballing demigod to fully-fledged Argentine deity. But no, this spectacular game of football had yet another twist, as Mbappe, Messi's club teammate at Paris Saint-Germain, fired in his third goal from the spot to become only the second player to score a World Cup final hat trick, after England's Geoff Hurst became the first in 1966. And so it was decided on penalties, with Argentina prevailing 4-2 in the shootout. Thirty-six years of hurt was over in an iconic advert for the Beautiful Game. Spare a thought for Mbappe though; three goals in a World Cup final but still on the losing side. Blessed with explosive speed and callous finishing, he already has 12 World Cup goals across two tournaments, including four in two finals. Former German international Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 will surely be surpassed by this extraordinary player from the suburbs of Paris, who leaves Qatar as the tournament's top scorer. Messi's finest moment But this was ultimately Messi's night; his crowning glory of an unparalleled career. Since making his debut for Barcelona in 2003, Messi has set countless scoring and assist records, scored too many memorable goals to remember, all while playing the game with a grace that few in the history of the game can rival. His performance in this final was his career in a microcosm. However, he's experienced the full range of emotions in an Argentina shirt. Defeat by Germany in the 2014 final left him in tears and he was on the brink of retiring from international football following Argentina's loss to Chile in the Copa America final two years later — but reversed his decision. "In the dressing room I thought the national team was over for me, but it is not," Messi said in 2016, after confirming he would continue. His exceptional goal against Nigeria briefly gave Argentina hope in Russia in 2018, but their journey would end against Deschamps' France in the last 16. But four years on and at the age of 35, Messi has finally done it. In what could be his final international game, he has won the only trophy that had eluded him and silenced anyone who says he remains in Diego Maradona's shadow. The only regret is that, two years after his untimely death, Maradona himself is not around to see it.

Lionel Messi can end doubts about the greatest player ever if he finally bags a winner's medal in Sunday's final, with Luka Modric's Croatia out of luck. Julian Alvarez also wowed the thunderous Argentina support. In the battle of the majestic maestros, Lionel Messi got the better of Luka Modric on the mighty stage of a World Cup semifinal. Glory now awaits arguably the greatest player to ever kick a ball, while the other will surely bid farewell to the globe's premier competition in Saturday's unedifying third place playoff. Argentina's captain fantastic struck the opening penalty and beautifully set-up the third in a 3-0 win, with young forward Julian Alvarez netting two to prove the team is much more than just their number 10. "We have gone through some tough situations and some very good ones. Today we experienced something spectacular," Messi said. "I am enjoying it with all these fans and with all the Argentinians who are back in our country. I imagine it must be crazy." Despite another virtuoso display from Messis Croatian counterpart, the game slipped away for the 37-year-old Modric amid uncharacteristically slack defending from his side. Croatia exposed RB Leipzig's masked warrior Josko Gvardiol has been a rock at this World Cup but suddenly a huge hole opened in Croatia's back line, allowing Enzo Fernandez's superb pass to find Alvarez free and bearing down on goal. Dominik Livakovic, another star in Qatar, could do little to stop himself colliding with the Manchester City striker and Messi did the rest from the spot on 34 minutes, as he became Argentina's record World Cup scorer with 11. The noise in the Lusail Stadium as the ball bashed the back of the net was like little else at this tournament, the throngs of Argentina fans dwarfing their rivals from southern Europe. Many of the Argentina supporters are Indian and Bangladeshi migrant workers who live in Qatar, adding a fervour and local flavour which spiced up the contest in Qatar's biggest arena of almost 89,000 people. Alvarez then exposed a second chasm in the opposition defence when he charged through on goal, had a little bit of luck with the bounce of the ball and finished with aplomb. All this was before halftime, and Croatia had no answer despite having decent possession. Oh how their fans dreamt of their 2018 run to the final and the power of Mario Mandzukic up front. Andrej Kramaric is a solid Bundesliga striker but against the Albiceleste, they needed more presence in the forward positions. Modric's tidy play and metronomic accuracy can only do so much. "We have prepared everything but we missed a real, genuine attacker," said Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic. "I have nothing to complain about regarding the boys. They gave their best during this whole tournament... It is a deserved defeat." Messi the magician The whistle for the interval followed a piece of outrageous skill by Argentina's fulcrum on the touchline and the fans broke out into a deafening chorus of 'Messi, Messi, Messi' —  many of the migrant fans support the twice winners simply because of the 35-year-old magician. Alvarez, 22, showed there is a bright future for Argentina when the great man hangs up his boots. But Argentina's third and his second was more to do with mercurial Messi turning Gvardiol inside out before laying it off for the finish. The 20-year-old defender’s rising transfer value may just have dipped a little. Now Messi has a second final to enjoy or endure after the pain of losing late on in extra-time to Germany in the 2014 showpiece. Defending champions France or Morocco will be waiting in this same stadium on Sunday. Messi now knows the place well and crossed almost every blade of thinning grass, yet still looked so laid-back throughout. A winner’s medal on Sunday will surely end the debate about football's top dog, as a tearful Cristiano Ronaldo heads with his tail between his legs into the Arabian desert or elsewhere. Modric falls short Messi's last World Cup dance will be in the final when he will become the tournament's all-time top appearance maker with his 26th game. Forbearer Diego Maradona also reached two finals, winning one and losing the other. Real Madrid's Modric was meanwhile substituted off on 80 minutes to warm applause — left to wonder why Croatia’s previously solid backline crumbled. The answer is that Argentina are a fine team with the best fans at the World Cup. That opening defeat to Saudi Arabia — also at this stadium — feels a lifetime ago. "We knew we were not the big favorites, but we were not going to give anything away to anyone. We proved it match by match," smiled Messi.

Lionel Messi scored his first World Cup knockout goal to help Argentina edge into the quarterfinals in Qatar with a nervy 2-1 win over Australia. The striker is aiming to lift the World Cup at the fifth time of asking. In need of a moment of magic to spark Argentina into life, it was almost guaranteed that captain and talisman Lionel Messi would be the man to step up, again. Having had just a solitary shot in an uninspired opening half an hour against a dogged Australian side, it felt like destiny when Messi received the ball 15 yards out from goal. With the silkiest of touches, the 35-year-old scored his first ever goal in the World Cup knockout stages, in his 1000th career match, to further embolden the belief that if the two-time World Champions are to see another star emblazoned on their national shirts, the hope rests firmly on their diminutive forward's dancing feet. In front a packed Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, housing almost exclusively Argentina fans aside from the small pocket of yellow-shirted Australians, Messi breathed a sigh of relief, admitting "there were a few scary moments, but we made it through. We have to play every three days but we're looking forward to playing in front of our fans. We have to continue standing together as a team." Argentina's path to this year's final at Lusail Stadium seems to be playing out in an eerily similar fashion to 2014 in Brazil, where Messi scored four goals and bagged an assist across the seven matches, as he proved the heartbeat of a team that ultimately fell short to Germany in extra-time. But, with the architects of their downfall in both 2014 and 2018 having been dumped out of the current competition at the group stage, perhaps the stars are aligning for Messi and the countless headlines that have already been written for just that occasion. A side slowly growing in confidence World Cup upsets are always a thing of beauty not least because it often coincides with the rare occasion where fair-weather fans tune in and can be swept up in the beauty of the game when a minnow knocks the sails of a much-vaunted pre-tournament favorite. Saudi Arabia's shock come-from-behind victory against the mighty Argentines saw the many veer quickly to the conclusion that Messi and the team was doomed to another disappointment on the world's biggest stage. But, while the Albiceleste may have required the star striker to get their campaign off the ground with his strike against Mexico in their second group match, the team look to be gradually building into a more all-rounded side. Julian Alvarez, named South American player of the year in 2021, has grown into the tournament. After seeing just half an hour's play in both of the first two group games, the Manchester City forward repaid Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni's faith in starting him against Poland with a sensational strike. His searing right-footed shot sealed Argentina's place in the knockout stages and although on Saturday his task was far simpler, rolling the ball into an empty net after Rodrigo De Paul has robbed Mat Ryan of the ball in his own box, it was no less important. The 22-year-old could easily have scuffed his line, Gonzalo Higuain's glaring miss in the 2014 World Cup final against Germany is never too far from any Argentinean's thoughts, but his composure saw him score what proved to be the match-winning goal and shows the team as a whole are growing in confidence. A creaky defence raises uncomfortable questions During Argentina's last foray to the World Cup final in 2014, they contested the tournament with five defenders which included three players who had won their respective domestic leagues from that season. Pablo Zabaleta and Martin Demichelis, for Manchester City in the Premier League and Ezequiel Garay, for Benfica in the Portuguese Primeria Liga, bought a wealth of experience and nous to the back line. Alongside Inter Milan's Hugo Campagnaro and Sporting's Marcos Rojo, Argentina had four shutouts in their six matches leading to the final, with the defence producing a rock-solid base for the team to build their game around. Whether this competitions cohort of defenders can live up to the benchmark set by their predecessors eight years ago remains questionable, with Australia not testing Argentina's back line the way more elite opposition might have. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez cut a relieved figured at the end of the match having been called into action late in the game, after a deflected shot from Craig Goodwin cannoned in off Enzo Fernandez to set up a frantic final 13 minutes of play. "We ended up suffering," he said. "Digging in, winning everything in the air. Warriors are made in battle. Today we took another step forward as a team."

Superstar Lionel Messi won his first trophy with his national team as Angel Di Maria's goal gave Argentina a 1-0 win over hosts Brazil in the Copa America final on Saturday.   The victory at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium ended Argentina's 28-year wait for a major trophy, and also ended Brazil's unbeaten home record that stretched back more than 2,500 days.   Argentina had last tasted success at a major tournament in 1993 when the great Gabriel Batistuta's brace gave them a 2-1 win over Mexico in the Copa final in Ecuador.   It was the first time in six editions playing at home that Brazil had failed to lift the trophy.   And while 34-year-old Messi's odyssey has come to an end, Brazil's Neymar, five years his junior, is still without a major title at international level having missed the Selecao's win on home soil two years ago through injury.   Argentina edged a brutal and fractious affair thanks to Di Maria's goal on 22 minutes.   The 33-year-old winger ran onto Rodrigo De Paul's sumptuous through ball to lob Brazil goalkeeper Ederson with a first time finish.   Messi could have wrapped up the win two minutes from time but slipped when clean through with only Ederson to beat. Source: AFP/BSS AH  

Football legend Diego Maradona, one of the greatest players of all time, has died at the age of 60. The former Argentina attacking midfielder and manager suffered a heart attack at his Buenos Aires home. He had successful surgery on a brain blood clot earlier in November and was to be treated for alcohol dependency. Maradona was captain when Argentina won the 1986 World Cup, scoring the famous 'Hand of God' goal against England in the quarter-finals. In a statement on social media, the Argentine Football Association expressed "its deepest sorrow for the death of our legend", adding: "You will always be in our hearts." Maradona played for Barcelona and Napoli during his club career, winning two Serie A titles with the Italian side. He scored 34 goals in 91 appearances for Argentina, representing them in four World Cups. Maradona led his country to the 1990 final in Italy, where they were beaten by West Germany, before captaining them again in the United States in 1994, but was sent home after failing a drugs test for ephedrine. During the second half of his career, Maradona struggled with cocaine addiction and was banned for 15 months after testing positive for the drug in 1991. He retired from professional football in 1997, on his 37th birthday, during his second stint at Argentine giants Boca Juniors. Having briefly managed two sides in Argentina during his playing career, Maradona was appointed head coach of the national team in 2008 and left after the 2010 World Cup, where his side were beaten by Germany in the quarter-finals. He subsequently managed teams in the United Arab Emirates and Mexico and was in charge of Gimnasia y Esgrima in Argentina's top flight at the time of his death. Source: BBC AH

At the end of the match, Iceland walks over to the corner of the stadium where its jubilant fans are celebrating like they’ve won. Argentina’s players wandered off with their hands on their hips, heads down. Only at the World Cup do two teams each score a goal and come away with a point and one team celebrates and the other acts as though there has been a death in the family. And obviously Iceland becomes the smallest country ever to get a point at the World Cup. Argentina took the lead at 19th minute with a spectacular goal from Sergio Aguero. It was his first goal in the world cup. But the joy of Argentine fans did not last for long. Just after four minutes Iceland’s Alfred Finnbogasson sent the ball to the net of Argentina with a trick from the D-box. The two teams went into the half time with 1-1 score. Into the second half Iceland took their defensive stance. Argentine shook the defense of Iceland with attack one after another. But Iceland’s goal keeper strongly gave response to the Argentine forwards. On the 63rd minute Argentina got a penalty. But Icelandic goalkeeper denied Lionel Messi from scoring goal from the spot kick. Then after the defensive strategy of Iceland made the way for a 1-1 draw against two time world cup champion Argentina when referee whistled the end of the game with 5 minutes extra time.            Argentina first  XI: Wilfredo Caballero, Eduardo Salvio, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Rojo, Nicolas Tagliafico, Lucas Biglia, Javier Mascherano, Maximiliano Meza, Lionel Messi (capt), Angel di Maria, Sergio Aguero Iceland first XI: Hannes Halldorsson, Hordur Magnusson, Kari Arnason, Ragnar Sigurdsson, Birkir Savarsson, Emil Hallfredsson, Aron Gunnarsson (capt), Johann Gudmundsson, Birkir Bjarnason, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Alfred Finnbogason AH